Dark of the Night
by KSherwood
Summary: This is my take on that dreadful movie, "Batman Forever."  It chronicles the birth of Two Face from a jar of acid and the vain but determined DA.


Dark of the Night

By

KSherwood

It was a bright and sunny morning, unusual for Gotham City, and the inhabitants of its suburbs were already out and exploiting the fine weather. Only the Dent family remained indoors. Harvey Dent, the District Attorney drank a cup of coffee and talked to his wife, Gilda, about his case against the notorious mob boss, Alphonse Moroni, for the murder and tax fraud.

Gilda Dent was a tall woman, average weight, with short brown hair and very blue eyes. She spent a lot of time in the kitchen, and her cooking was practically world-famous.

"There's no way Moroni can worm his way out of this one," Dent told Gilda, "Even if he's found not guilty for the murders, the tax fraud will put him behind bars for years."

"Forget about your gangsters and have some breakfast," Gilda said, "You hungry?"

In reply, Dent grabbed Gilda playfully and kissed her on the throat.

"Lay off," Gilda laughed and wiggled away, "How about eggs?"

"You win. Scrambled, please."

Gilda cracked two eggs into a frying pan, and turned on the radio. All the news proved grim, though, so she turned it off.

Harvey Dent finished his breakfast, kissed Gilda and started to leave for work. He stopped and checked his reflection in the hallway mirror on the way out. A tall, handsome man with wavy dark hair and blue eyes stared back at him. Harvey Dent was notoriously and justifiably vain. He was in fine shape from throwing criminals in jail, and his tailor-made suit showed off how fit he was.

One of his assistants, Sage Thierry, was waiting for him at the courthouse with some important news. Miss Thierry was a fairly young woman, rather short, with tawny hair and long elegant hands. The elegant hands were useful, for she was a great hand-talker.

"There's new evidence on the Cain murders, Harvey," she said, "Some more of that marked money was found in that worm, Stewart's, possession. I think he'll be moved to testify."

Dent grinned, "Good."

Sage smiled back and went over her papers again.

The trial started. Moroni, a somber man with iron gray hair and a face that knew it was guilty of many sins, answered Dent's questions less effectively than his lawyer. The courtroom regulars seemed to know that Blackgate Penitentiary awaited the aging gangster, and held their breath when it was time for his lawyer to speak in his defense.

Moroni belched loudly, apologized, and reached for his bottle of stomach medicine. Instead of drinking the stuff, however, he snarled an Italian curse at Dent, and hurled the contents straight at the shocked DA's face!

Dent instinctively threw up his hands to protect his face, but he was not quite fast enough. The acrid smell of burnt flesh and Dent's scream of agony filled the courthouse. Several people fainted, and Dent was rushed to Gotham General Hospital. In the confusion, the vitriol-throwing Moroni and his attorney disappeared.

While Harvey Dent was not critically injured, his beautiful features were completely destroyed, and his left hand was badly damaged as well. He would still be able to use it, but much of it was also eaten away and Dent's wedding ring had fused to his finger.

Gilda Dent rushed to the hospital to see her husband, and what she saw horrified her. True, bandages covered the burns, but Dent would not talk to her or even look at her. He only stared at the ceiling until she left. A few minutes after he heard the door close softly, he carefully left the bed and went to the bathroom mirror.

With clumsy hands he unwound the bandages from his face, and hung his head in anguish, unable to make any sound. The skin from most of the left side of his face had been eaten away; his mouth had been spared, but not so his left eye. He could still see out of it, but it was blank and tears ran from it uncontrollably as it attempted to cleanse itself. The acid had burned his hair, too. The area immediately around the left side of his face was bone white, stood straight out and was the texture of a hairbrush.

For a second Harvey Dent stared at his reflection, then he brought up his good hand and smashed the mirror. Ignoring the cuts on his hand, he picked up his suit from the chair in the main room and pulled it on. He was a little shaky, and a coin fell from a jacket pocket. Curious, Dent picked it up off the floor. It was his lucky piece, a two-headed silver dollar.

"I have two faces now," Dent said to the coin.

On that note he took a piece of the shattered mirror and slashed at the coin until one side was marked with an X.

"We match now," growled Dent, and of course the coin said nothing.

Without another word Dent strode out of his room, down the hall and out of the hospital, ignoring or shoving away the doctors and nurses who insisted that he return to bed.

Meanwhile, Alphonse Moroni was in his safe house, plotting his next move. His lieutenant, a South African by the name of Leron Hall, was not of much help to him.

"If ya don't mind my saying so," said Hall to Moroni, "You shouldn't of thrown that acid. Now those cops will be breathing down your neck."

Moroni favored his lackey with a frown. "I'm beginning to think so, but now he knows you don't mess with Moroni."

"No, boss. That Dent guy isn't normal. He can be pretty brutal. This may be just make him more determined to toss you in the clink."

"He won't keep his position long," Moroni predicted confidently, "People won't want an ugly man in such a prestigious position. I bet Dent resigns as soon as he's released the hospital, then we got nothing to worry about."

Hall decided not to push his luck by pursuing the subject, and asked, "Can I go home now, boss? My wife's coming back tomorrow, and it's got to look like I at least used the place."

"Women," Moroni snorted, "Go ahead. You'll need the use of both your ears for when we decide what to do next."

"Thanks, Al."

Hall sneaked out of the safe house and drove back to his apartment. He unlocked the door, stepped inside and immediately knew that something was not right. He put his hand in his jacket for his Smith and Wesson.

"Drop it, Hall," an unfamiliar voice from behind him said.

Slowly, Hall raised his hands. A tall man with wild hair approached him and took the gun, taking care to keep his face in shadow. Instead of pocketing Hall's weapon, he used it and the gun he was already carrying to keep Moroni's man covered.

"How'd you get in here?" Hall asked.

The stranger sneered, "I came in through the keyhole."

"Just who the hell are you?"

"My name is Two Face. Now, turn around slowly; walk out, down the hall and down the stairs. We're going to find Moroni, and remember that I've got these two guns on you."

Hall gritted his teeth and did as he was told. It was so late that no one was around to see them.

"Go to your car, you drive," Two Face ordered.

"Anything you say."

The light was better on the ground level, and Hall was able to get a good look at his captor.

"Jesus," he exclaimed, "Dent?"

Two Face/Dent jabbed him aggressively with one of the pistols, "The name is Two Face. Get in the damn car."

A veteran of several gang wars, Hall had seen a lot of bad stuff, but Dent sent a chill up his spine. Without a word, he got behind the wheel. Two Face climbed into the passenger seat, gun still aimed at the black man's ribcage.

"Take me to Moroni's safe house."

"What makes you think I know where he hides out?"

Two Face cocked the pistol loudly, "I won't ask you politely again. Now."

Hall started the car and drove to the safe house.

"You gonna kill me?" he asked.

"I don't know," admitted his captor, "What happened to me was pure chance. I think I ought to give you and your boss that same chance."

With his free hand, Two Face removed a coin from his pocket and tossed it. It landed heads side up.

"You're a lucky man, Hall," he told his prisoner.

Hall stopped the car. "This is it."

"Good. Now get out. You go in first. I'm not going to kill you, but I can't guarantee your boss."

Hall did as he was told. Moroni was still up and trying to think of a plan.

"What the hell is this?" he demanded upon seeing the pair behind him in the mirror.

"Shut up," Two Face said, "You're not in a position to say anything."

"Dent?" Moroni asked, peering into the ruined face, "Look, Dent, it wasn't personal. It was a business decision."

"This isn't personal, either," Two Face said, flipping his coin, "Blind, unprejudiced luck. And the coin says you lose."

Two Face leveled his guns and shot Moroni twice, once in the chest and once in the head. One shot for each gun. Hall flinched. Two Face turned his guns on Hall.

"You said you weren't going to kill me," Hall protested.

"And I won't," promised Two Face, "Unless your luck changes."

The guns went off again, and Hall sank to the floor, blood pouring from a hole in his right shoulder and in his left knee.

Sage Thierry was in the process of pulling an all-nighter at the office. Everything had blown up with the vitriol throwing. She drank the last of her coffee and finally decided just to give up and go home for the night. She tidied up her desk a little, got her coat and locked up the office. It was very dark outside and the sidewalks were empty. If she hurried, she could make the next subway to her neighborhood.

She walked quickly down the dark streets towards the subway station, but a man with a baseball cap pulled over his face stepped out of an alleyway, blocking her path. He pulled out a knife and demanded her purse.

"Yell and I'll cut your nose off."

Sage handed over her purse without a word. The mugger took it and fled to the alley, unaware of the cloaked figure of Batman observing the scene. Sage also fled the scene of the crime.

The crook got the surprise of his life when Batman suddenly leapt in front of him, took the purse and hit him hard on the jaw.

"Don't eat me," said the mugger, who probably traded all of his loot for dope.

Batman grabbed the guy by the front of his T-shirt and yanked him into a standing position.

"I'm not going to eat you, but don't let me catch you stealing purses again."

"I won't!"

Batman flung the man down and disappeared.

Sage stood at the top of the stairway that led to the metro, wondering what to do. All her money and her subway pass were in that purse, and now she had no way of getting home. She felt the air pressure change, and turned to see Batman standing behind her, the purse in his gauntleted hand.

"Thank you so much," she said, accepting the bag, "I can't get home without it."

She delved into the purse, double-checking for her keys, but when she looked up again he was gone.

Not long afterwards Bruce Wayne appeared in the library of stately Wayne Manor, where he found that Alfred Pennyworth, the butler, was still awake.

"I am relieved that you are home, sir," Alfred said by way of greeting.

Bruce nodded vaguely.

Alfred continued, "There was more distressing news on the radio. The despicable Mr. Moroni was found dead in his safe house, and his lieutenant was very badly injured."

"I heard," Bruce sat down at his desk and pulled out a photo album, "Commissioner Gordon told me; he couldn't make up his mind whether to be pleased that he's heard the last of them. But there is something else. Harvey Dent is missing from the hospital, just got up and left."

"Does he suspect foul play, sir?"

"No. I don't think he or the hospital staff thinks it's anything more than shock. Then, if there's nothing to worry about, why hush it up?"

"Perhaps they want to spare him any embarrassment."

"Maybe. You go to bed, Alfred. I'll sit up here a while longer."

"Goodnight, sir."

"'Night, Alfred."

Bruce opened up the album and studied the photographs. They were all of his mother and father, and of him as a small child. Happier times.

Two Face sat in Hall's car, thumbing through an old magazine. The article he was looking for was about Bruce Wayne's loan of the famed Wayne Double Diamond the Gotham City Museum. A few minutes later he was sitting in a bar with the infamous hitman, Two-Ton Grant.

Two-Ton was an Irish-American hitman who lived up to his name. He was big, tough, scary and un-brilliant. But he wasn't dumb, either, and he definitely had a healthy dose of Irish luck.

"That's a good plan, Mister Two Face," he said, "But why do you want to steal the diamond? Yesterday you was a respected man."

"I've had a life-changing experience. Either I could continue the life I had, or I could change," Two Face flipped the coin and caught it, "The coin said I change."

"Whatever you say, no skin off my nose," said Two-Ton, drinking his whiskey, "How much d'you reckon that rock is worth?"

"Twenty thousand at least, judging by the size."

"Works for me," said Two-Ton, "Is it still at the museum?"

"Yeah, but in a couple of days it's being returned to the bank. Then we get it when there's much less security."

Two days later Bruce Wayne stepped out of the Wayne Tech building after a particularly intense board meeting and over to his car, where Alfred was waiting.

"Alfred," said Bruce, "Would you drive me by the Rose Café? I need to relax."

"Very good, sir."

"Do you still recommend the trout?"

"Yes, I do, sir."

Alfred dropped Bruce off at the café, and the pretty figure of Sage Thierry waiting for a table immediately caught the millionaire's eye. Bruce struck up a brief conversation with the lady, until a waiter resembling a chipmunk appeared and told Bruce that his usual table was ready.

"Is the young lady with you," asked the chipmunk, already in the process of waving for another chair.

Bruce and Sage looked at each other. "Yes, we're together," said Bruce, and Sage followed him to the table.

"So you're Bruce Wayne," Sage said, "I'm Sage Thierry."

"Yeah, we never introduced ourselves. You're one of the assistant DA's, aren't you?"

"Uh huh. It's been a terrible week so far. Did you hear about everything that's happened?"

"Yes, I did. I was really sorry to hear about what happened to Harvey; I've been meaning to go to the hospital and see him. How's he doing?"

Sage frowned, "He's gone. That is he just got up and sort of sleepwalked out that night. Nobody's supposed to know except the police, us at the office, and his wife, of course. But that is going to be pretty hard to keep quiet, I think."

"That will get to be pretty difficult. I hope he's all right."

"Yeah, me too. Harvey's a great boss. Nasty temper, but he's pretty good at controlling it."

"I know about the temper; I've played cards with him before."

Sage giggled and changed the subject. The pair talked for a while longer, and had every intention of leaving together when the Bat Signal flashed in the sky. Bruce saw it through the window and thought fast. He glanced casually at his watch, and slapped a look of feigned realization onto his face.

"Oh, shoot, I have to be at a meeting at seven," he signaled for a waiter and signed the check.

Sage started to protest, but Bruce waved it aside, said he hoped to see her again soon and left quickly. Once outside he summoned the Batmobile via remote control and sped of in the direction of the distress signal.

Commissioner Gordon's face appeared on the viewing screen.

"Yes, Commissioner?" Batman asked.

"Two-Ton Grant and a man calling himself Two Face hijacked the vehicle carrying the Wayne Double Diamond back to the bank. They headed towards the West Side; Two-Ton lives around there."

Bruce Wayne had had the foresight to put a microscopic tracking device on the jewel at the time of its loan, so if it was stolen he could trace it as Batman. He quickly closed in on the signal, and turned a corner just in time to see Two-Ton and Two Face get out of their car. From where Batman was, he could only see the scarred side of Two Face's countenance.

The gruesome pair opened fire on the Batmobile. Batman loitered for a second to lull them into a false sense of security, and then he sprang from the car, scaring both criminals. Two-Ton jumped to attack, but while he had five inches and about twenty pounds on Batman, he was off balance and not in as great shape. After a minute or two of Batman easily dodging the man's blows, Batman landed several of hits on Two-Ton, knocking him down and stunning him. Two Face drew his two guns.

"Mr. Dent?" asked Batman, stunned that his former ally was pointing a gun at him.

"The coin said I should become a criminal," explained Two Face, "I couldn't stay the way I was."

He's gone mad, thought Batman, as he tried to reason with his old friend. "Mr. Dent, you should go back to the hospital. They can fix your face; turning to crime won't solve anything."

"My life has been shattered," said Two Face, touching his scars. "I can't just jump back into it and pretend nothing happened."

"I had to rebuild my life, too. It wasn't easy, but you should try"

Two Face growled, tucked one of his guns away, and pulled the coin out of his pocket. He threw the scarred silver piece into the air, and caught and checked it.

"The coin says you lose, Batman." He fired twice at Batman's chest, hitting him both times.

Thanks to Batman's body armor, the impact of the bullets only knocked him down; they didn't penetrate his skin. Two-Ton sat up groggily and unsteadily shuffled over to Batman.

"Whaddaya say we unmask him?"

Two Face flipped the coin again, "Go ahead."

The pair approached the Caped Crusader, who suddenly kicked out, sending Two-Ton to his knees and Two Face into the wall. Batman smacked the former DA's head against the bricks and took the diamond from his pocket.

Two-Ton struggled to his feet, "C'mon, boss, let's just go!"

Two Face didn't need telling twice; he shook his head to clear it and dashed after Two-Ton. Batman let them go; he climbed back into the Batmobile and pressed the button, which put him in contact with Gordon.

"Did you recover the diamond?" asked Gordon.

"Yes, but the man calling himself Two Face is really Harvey Dent."

"What did you just say?"

"He's gone mad. He makes all his decisions by flipping a coin."

"God _damn_ it. This is going to look just great in the papers. Well, I'm glad you got the diamond, anyway. The last thing we need is for Bruce Wayne to sue us."

An odd smirk passed over Batman's face.

Two Face and Two-Ton were hiding out in their car, and Two-Ton was still nursing his injuries.

"Sonofabitch," mumbled Two-Ton, massaging his gut, "I think he damaged something internal."

"If he did, you'd already be dead," snapped Two Face.

Two-Ton looked curiously at his boss. Two Face was staring at a young couple out the window. They were holding hands and laughing together. The couple stopped to admire the display in the window of a jewelry store. The young man pointed at something across the street, and when the girl looked he stole a quick kiss.

Two Face sighed, recalling the playful moment he had had with Gilda before his world had gone up in smoke, and stared moodily at the twisted piece of yellow metal that had once been his wedding ring.

"Hey," said Two Ton, "If you miss your wife that much just go 'an see her."

Gilda Dent was sitting at her kitchen table with a cup of tea and the newspaper, but the tea was cold and she kept reading the same sentence over and over again. The telephone rang urgently, her first impulse was to ignore it, but she picked up the receiver in the middle of its third ring.

"Hello?"

"Gilda?"

"Harvey! Harvey, thank God you're alive! How are you?"

"I'm here, Gilda. I'm here," Two Face paused, unsure of himself, "Do you want to see me?"

"Of course I want to see you. Where?"

"Do you remember the bar downtown, close to the highway? Nickel's?"

"Yes. Are you there?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm here."

"I'll be right there."

He hung up, and Gilda raced to the bar as fast as she could. She wanted to see him very badly, but she was not sure what to expect. He had not sounded right on the phone.

Nickel's was a popular bar in Gotham City. It was small, and a center for all sorts of activities of questionable legality at best, but the drinks and sandwiches were great, so its doors stayed open. All sorts of people gathered there, and it was especially crowded that night.

Mrs. Dent stepped inside and looked for her husband. He was sitting in a very dark corner, so that it was almost impossible to see his face. Gilda rushed over and made to embrace him, but when she saw his face she faltered. She quickly snapped out of it, and kissed him, but he still noticed her hesitation and she knew it as well.

"How are you, Gilda?" he asked.

"I'm alright, I guess. But what about you, really?"

"Have your drink first."

Gilda looked down at the table and saw that there was a drink waiting for her. She sat down and took a sip.

"I've had a run of bad luck," Two Face said to Gilda, spinning his coin on the table, "First Moroni, and now this."

"What?"

"Blind luck. Everything is decided by luck. That's the only way it's fair. After what Moroni did, I had two choices. I could try to continue my life as best I could, or I could start a new life as a criminal. The coin said I become a criminal."

"Harvey, that's crazy! Life doesn't have to be fair, and chance isn't always fair. Is it fair to your friends, or to me, is you suddenly become what you've been trying to protect the city from?"

Two Face started to flip the coin again, but Gilda seized it. "Forget about the coin for a minute, Harvey," she said, "If that coin didn't exist, would you still have done this?"

Two Face put his face in his hands. "I don't know, Gilda. Since I woke up in that hospital I hardly know my name," he sat up straight, "I've been calling myself Two Face. It seemed more appropriate."

Unknown to the former district attorney and his wife, an anonymous call was made to the police stating that the man calling himself Two Face was there. When Commissioner Gordon heard the news he told the policemen responding to the call, "Go easy on him. He needs a doctor before he needs a judge." What he really meant was "let's keep this out of the papers as long as we can, the last thing we need is another exposure".

Back at the bar Two Face was saying goodbye to Gilda. "This is goodbye for awhile, Gilda. Until my luck changes."

"How long is that going to be?"

"As long as it takes. Don't look at me like that, Gilda, I'll be back."

"How can I believe that? You've become a criminal, letting your every move be decided by that goddamned coin. Just tell me, do you know without flipping that coin, if you still love me?"

Two Face threw the coin on the table without looking at it and took Gilda by the shoulders, "You know I love you, Gilda. I love you very much."

"I love you, too, Harvey, but I don't know what to think about all this."

"Don't try, Gilda. I don't know, either."

He kissed her firmly on the lips. At this moment the police entered the bar, and one particularly bold officer tugged on Two Face's sleeve and pronounced him under arrest for the robbery. Two Face and his wife sprang apart like teenagers caught in the hall closet, and Gilda shrank back behind her chair, looking terrified. The bold officer began to mechanically recite the rights of the arrested man such as the right to remain silent. Another cop frisked Two Face for his guns, and confiscated the two double-barrel pistols. They let him keep the coin.

"Wish me luck, Gilda," Two Face whispered.

Gilda was close to tears. "Good luck, Harvey."

The police ushered Two Face towards an ambulance surrounded by patrol cars.

"Ambulance?" he asked.

"Uh huh," said the bold cop, "Back to the hospital."

They strapped him down to the gurney and the driver took off. Two Face lay there silently, staring at the ceiling of the ambulance, feeling the coin in his pocket.

"Hey," one of the cops barked at the driver, "You missed the turn; the hospital is that way!"

The driver slammed on the brakes, and turned to face the policemen.

"Riddle me this," he said, "I'm a tightly coiled piece of metal; I also set people free. What am I?"

"You're a spring," said the cop who had confiscated the guns, "You're gonna spring him."

"You're nuts," said the bold cop.

The driver produced a gold cane with a question mark top that gave off an eerie green glow. The cops were mesmerized by it, and Two Face felt his eyes drawn to it.

"Untie Mr. Dent," the driver said his voice suddenly haunting, "He's not the man you want. Do you understand?"

"Understand," the officers chorused, sounding like sleepy children.

They untied Two Face, who sat up, confused.

"Return his guns," ordered the enigmatic ambulance driver, and again the officers obeyed, "Now get out and walk back to HQ. Obey!"

The policemen sleepwalked out of the ambulance, and the driver burst into demonic giggles.

"Ooh, I _love_ doing that! To have control of the feeble minded…the world has been handed to me on a silver platter!"

Two Face stared at the driver. "Who the hell are you?

The driver started the ambulance again and sped towards the docks. "I am a question with an ironic answer. You will find me in the book of Judges, but not in a deck of cards."

Two Face thought for a moment. He was not much of a churchgoer, but he understood the rest of the problem.

"You're a riddle," he said.

"Close enough, Two Face. I'm the Riddler."

"What do you want?"

"The Wayne Double Diamond."

"Well good luck. I tried getting that bit of ice, and I wash my hands of it," Two Face looked out the windshield, "Where are we going?"

"My place. I hope you like fish."

The ambulance sped into an empty warehouse and stopped sharply. The Riddler leapt lightly out of the vehicle and traded his ambulance driver's coat for a pea green sports coat with lavender question marks on it, and a matching bowler hat. Two Face silently quit the ambulance and stood in front of it, flipping his coin like George Raft and watching the Riddler suspiciously.

"Look, Two Face," the Riddler said, moving over to a chair and straightening it so that it was perfectly aligned before sitting down, "We both want that diamond, and what's keeping us from it?"

"Batman," said Two Face bitterly.

"Bingo. The answer to every riddle as to why my plans have gone awry. Now for the $64,000 question; what do we do about him?"

Two Face flipped his coin and caught it as it came down. He checked the outcome (scarred side up) and said, "We get rid of him."

"Exactly. We kill him. The Bat gets dead, and we get whatever we want. You see?"

"I see."

"So I've got a little proposal for you, soldier. We team up and kill the Bat. With our brains we can do it perfectly and get away scot-free. Perfect. Straight down the line."

"That line's been used, Riddler, but I like your way of thinking." He tossed the coin again, "I accept."

"Good," said the Riddler, "Let's drink to that."

He produced a bottle from a hidden spot and poured the contents into two glasses.

"Bad health to Batman," he said.

The two felons drank in silence.

After the drinks were gone the Riddler asked, "How do we get Batman here? We can take a hostage, but who?"

Two Face thought for a second, "There is my old assistant."

Eagerly, the two men put their heads together to plan their murder most foul.

The Riddler and Two Face entered Sage's office using Two Face's old key. They hoped that Sage would be working late and were disappointed that they had missed her.

The Riddler pointed to the answering machine. "Let's listen in on the phone calls."

After a minute or two of hacking Sage's conversation with Bruce Wayne played back.

"Well, well, well," the Riddler said, "Now we've got the perfect place time to grab her; when she's out with Wayne. I can give my riddle to him in person instead of just leaving it for some dope to find."

Two Face frowned. "Why do you leave those riddles; leaving clues just makes it easier for you to get caught."

"I can't not leave riddles," said the Riddler, wringing his hands, " I tried a couple of times, but I can't. I'm addicted to riddles, but then that's better than grass."

Two Face shrugged. The Riddler had a point.

The following evening, rather late, Bruce Wayne and Sage Thierry were taking a stroll around the grounds of Wayne Manor, talking and enjoying the dying light.

"These are beautiful," said Sage, bending down to examine some pale orange blooms, "They smell so good."

Bruce obediently took a whiff of the blossoms, too, but its charm eluded him.

"I'm not really a plant person." He gestured at the plants, "The gardens are mostly Alfred's doing. He made sure they were taken care of; I probably would have just let it get overgrown."

"How can you not like them? I'd love to have a garden, but I don't have the space for one."

"You're welcome to this one." Bruce leaned against a tree trunk. "Pick one."

"Thank you."

Sage gently plucked a flower and Bruce made to tuck it behind her ear, but a green helicopter appeared out of nowhere and they were forced to duck down. Two Face and the Riddler leapt out of the chopper, weapons drawn. Two Face pointed his guns Sage.

"Get in the chopper."

Sage obeyed, casting frightened looks at Bruce and at her captors. One of the Riddler's goons tied her up.

The Riddler himself thrust a beautifully wrapped gift box at Bruce Wayne. "You can give that to Batman," the Riddler said, "Don't try to solve it yourself; it's beyond you."

Bruce made no comment; he knew he was covered. Two Face kept one pistol clapped against Sage's head, and used his other hand to flip his coin.

"You're a lucky man, Bruce," he said.

The millionaire kept his mouth shut, but he gave Two Face a look of pure loathing.

"I shall do the honors," the Riddler said, getting that giggly sadistic edge in his voice again.

Bruce tensed his muscles in preparation for an attack, and he dodged as the Riddler swung his lethal cane at him. In doing so, he avoided having his jaw shattered, but he still got a nasty crack on the mouth that bled waterfalls down his shirt and into his mouth. He staggered but kept his balance.

"Nice reflexes," the Riddler laughed as he and Two Face flew away.

Bruce turned his attention to the Riddler's box. It contained a rancid fish, and a card. On the card, written in the Riddler's impeccable script was the following Riddle:

Business place by day

_Terror by night_

_Keeps the city divided so that it may never unite_

_Old and still young_

_What am I? Where is she?_

Underneath the riddle, in an unsteady hand, was scrawled, "solve it before midnight".

Bruce read the riddle to himself a couple of times, and he gave it to Alfred.

"The first two lines could apply to almost anyplace in the city." He tapped a finger on his chin. "I think that second part is the most important."

"Perhaps they mean the river, sir," Alfred said, "The bridges are the only thing keeping the city together."

"I think you're right." Bruce turned on the computer and typed a few things, "And according to this, it's still classified as a young river."

"That should help with the first part of the riddle," said Alfred, turning to a map of Gotham City.

Bruce pointed to a couple of spots on the map. "Those are the loading docks, where the people who've been fitted for cement overshoes usually end up."

"There used to be a great deal of fishing that was done in this area," Alfred pointed to another spot.

"That could explain that rotten old fish."

Alfred bravely bent over the slimy creature, "This particular species was among the most heavily fished ten years ago, but now it's endangered and illegal to fish."

Bruce nodded and swiftly put the disgusting denizen of the deep back in the box. He sat down at the computer again and pressed a few more buttons.

"The old canning plant seems like the likeliest spot, based on this. What time is it?"

"Ten-thirty, sir."

Bruce Wayne suited up quickly, and Batman sped out of the Batcave. He reached the empty building in less than ten minutes and quietly slipped inside. It was very dark inside, but possible to see. The stolen ambulance was still parked there, and so were a table and a couple of chairs. Everything that would suggest canning fish had been taken away, it was now strictly hideout. It was as silent as a crypt; the river could barely be heard lapping at the docks.

Batman saw some light ahead and cautiously made his way forward. The source of the light was the crack under a door. He put his ear to the door, but he heard nothing. It was not locked, and Batman opened it and went inside.

Sage Thierry sat on a beaten up sofa with her hands and ankles bound and a piece of duct tape covering her mouth. Batman removed the tape as gently as he could, and the lady took a very long deep breath.

"Thank you," she whispered. "The Riddler should be right around here, and I don't know where Harv- Two Face is."

"Well, well, well," said the Riddler, "You're early, Batman. I didn't expect you until about eleven-thirty. No matter! We can start things ahead of schedule."

Batman turned away from the girl to face his adversary, and the Riddler's confidence wavered slightly. He was taller, but Batman was much stronger than he was.

"I solved your riddle, and I'm here," Batman's voice sounded low and lion-like, "Now let her go."

"Sure." The Riddler laughed, "Always rescue the damsel in distress. We might let her go. Just wait for Two Face." The Riddler suddenly cocked his head to one side. "Where'd you get that cut? I'm betting it wasn't shaving."

Batman stiffened slightly, and Sage sat up a little more. Now that the Riddler mentioned it, she recalled Bruce Wayne getting hit on the mouth when she was kidnapped. Batman kept quiet, edging a little closer to the Riddler, who was basking in the glory of his revelation.

"I think you're Bruce Wayne," the Riddler wasn't looking at him, "That's why you got here so fast! So that's how you spend your nights!"

He hooted with laughter but ended it with a groan of pain, for Batman had belted him in the stomach. The Riddler doubled over for a second, but recovered swiftly enough to give Batman a pretty good crack on the wrist with his cane. They grappled for a moment longer, then Batman sent the Riddler to the floor with a punch and picked up the cane, which the Riddler had dropped when he received the blow.

"Careful," said the Riddler from the floor, "That was handcrafted and very expensive. Of course, Bruce, you can afford hundreds of these, can't you?"

Batman yanked the Riddler to his feet by the collar of his shirt.

"Aw, gee," whined the Riddler, "Now you have to kill me, but you don't kill. Oho, what a riddle!"

"Where's Two Face?"

"Well, you took us by surprise, so he's still putting the finishing touches on your little surprise."

Right on cue, the door clicked open and Two Face entered the room. Seeing Sage without her gag and Batman dangling the Riddler like a fish on a line, and quickly drew both of his double barrel pistols.

"Hey, Harvey," said the Riddler obnoxiously, "I know who the Batman is! He's-"

Several things happened at once; Batman silenced the Riddler with a karate move, sending him to the floor again. He whimpered in pain, clutching his stomach. Two Face clapped one of his pistols against Sage's temple. The Riddler stopped whimpering and grinned.

"Give him the cane," Two Face ordered Batman.

Batman unceremoniously dropped the Riddler's cane on the floor.

The Riddler snarled, "I told you to be careful with that! It's very delicate."

"Bill me," said Batman.

"I will, or your estate at any rate."

Gingerly, the Riddler got to his feet and picked up his cane.

"Let's show our guests their surprise," he said to Two Face, who grinned and jabbed Sage with his other pistol.

She stood slowly, took a step, and fell over. The Riddler sighed impatiently, untied her ankles, and yanked her up. She glared at him.

"You're welcome," said the Riddler.

Sage ignored him.

"We're going down the hall, Batman," Two Face said, "And if you try anything, remember that I've got both these guns pointed at your girlfriend. Now, Sage, move!"

"Stop hitting me with that thing!" Sage snapped.

"Sage, you're a great person and a very good lawyer, but I will shoot you if I have to."

"You always were a fair boss, Harvey."

The Riddler produced a small black box from which he withdrew what looked like a garish pin, "Now to show you what swell guys we really are, I'm going to present you with this stylish Riddler button. I've got something else for you, Batman."

"What's the catch?" Batman wanted to know.

The Riddler pinned the button on Sage's bosom, catching a cheap feel at the same time, "In the corner over there, we have two buttons. If you push one button, her pin will blow up. If you push the other one, you blow up. Yours straps on."

He strapped another garish question mark to Batman's arm. Two Face shoved Sage into the other room and picked up the story.

"If you do nothing, they both blow up at midnight. If you try to leave, they might still blow you up, and then they might not. It's all up to chance."

Batman smiled an ironic smile and said, "Those aren't very good odds, Two Face. No matter how those buttons are pushed or not, it's almost certain that we will both be killed. No chance."

"Don't listen to him, Harvey," argued the Riddler, "It's fair."

Two Face, however, reached for his coin. Sage was no longer covered and Batman sprang to attack. He disarmed Two Face. Two Face tried to punch Batman, but only hurt his hand on the body armor. The Riddler attempted to use his cane to hypnotize Batman, but the green light flickered and died. As Batman had hoped, the cane had been damaged by its fall. Two Face aimed a blow at Batman's injured jaw, which the Dark Knight just managed to dodge. Batman knocked Two Face down, and out with his next punch.

Sage, meanwhile, struggled with her bonds. Batman tore the pin from her blouse and threw it across the room. Using his cane as a hand to hand weapon, the Riddler attacked. Even though he was not very strong, he was an excellent stick fighter, and he managed to score a couple of hits on Batman while receiving several himself.

Sage, keeping an eye on the unconscious Two Face, strained at her bonds some more. Her hands and wrists were sweaty and rope-burned, but the knots were beginning to give.

Batman's arms and shoulders sported several stinging spots from blows by the Riddler, and the Riddler was very beaten up, too. He was still sore from where Batman had slugged him earlier. He was a little short of breath, yet Batman was only just getting warmed up. The Riddler missed hitting Batman, giving him the opportunity to disarm the quiz man, and to throw him over his shoulder.

During the Riddler's fall, he accidentally hit one of the buttons with his elbow. The room went deadly quiet. A red light blinked from the pin that Batman had torn from Sage's blouse, and it exploded. The walls fell forward and flames leapt up. The Riddler did not even have a chance to scream.

The sound of the explosion awoke Two Face, who jumped to his feet, but he did not make to attack. He knew without his coin that the only thing to do in this situation was to escape.

Batman scooped Sage up and shot his zip line out the window and jumped. They sped through the air across the wire to the safety of the next rooftop.

Two Face had nothing as sophisticated as a retractable zip line and had to take the door. However, flames were spreading fast from the wall where the explosion had happened, and the exit was blocked. He ran to the end of the hall where a window overlooked the river. Two Face put his elbow to the glass, and it shattered. He looked down at the rushing water for a minute, to gather his courage, and jumped.

Batman and Sage saw him jump and hit the water, but not resurface.

"Wait here," Batman told Sage, swinging over to the river.

There was no sign of the duplicitous man, dead or alive. Batman noticed something shining in the firelight on the ground and stooped to examine it. The shining was Two Face's marked coin, caught in a crack on the ground.

By now the police and firemen had begun to arrive.

"This fire is a blessing in disguise," said one firefighter as he sprayed the blaze with a powerful jet of water.

One of the cops noticed Batman in the shadows. "How'd this fire get started?" he asked.

Batman cut the strapped on bomb off of his arm with his Batarang, and handed it to the officer. "With one of these; it's one of the Riddler's special bombs."

"Where's the Riddler?"

"Dead. One of his bombs exploded prematurely and a wall came down on him. Two Face was here, too. He jumped in the river to escape the fire. I can't find him."

Batman also surrendered the coin to the policeman, and flew back up to the rooftop where Sage waited.

"Are you really Bruce Wayne?" Sage asked, sounding a little shell-shocked.

Batman hesitated only a second before saying, "Yes, I am."

Sage shook her head tiredly. "I don't believe it."

An hour or so later Sage Thierry and Bruce Wayne were sitting on a large sofa back at Wayne Manor. Sage was wearing one of Bruce's shirts, replacing her torn one, and he was back in blue jeans and a tee shirt.

"Are you alright?" Bruce asked her, noticing that Sage was staring out the window sadly.

"I think so," she replied, "Well, maybe not. I feel bad for Harvey, even though he tried to kill me. And there was finding out about you. I'm not sure what to do with that."

"I don't either, sometimes, but it's me now."

Sage thought about that for a minute then asked a question. "Are we going to keep seeing each other?"

"I'd like to, if you don't mind…"

"I think I would mind a little, but I can live with it. I think."

"That's all I can ask."

Sage kissed him lightly on the cheek.

Back in the suburbs, Gilda Dent was sitting at her kitchen table again, face buried in her hands. The police had just left, and they had told her as gently as they could, that Harvey Dent was in all likelihood dead. The officers had the coin as proof, and she was staring at it through her fingers.

Gilda picked it up and turned it over several times, staring at the ugly mark on one side. Tears slid down her cheek.

"He's not dead," she said to the empty house, "He can't be."

She threw the coin down, and it chugged in the air and spun on its side for a very long minute. Gilda decided to place her hopes in the outcome of its spin.

"Heads, he's alive," she said quietly, "Tails…"

She let the sentence remain unfinished. With a soft metallic clang, the coin landed. The untouched side stared at the ceiling. Life, which can be as merciful as it is cruel, had taken pity on Mrs. Dent. The coin had given her something to hope for, to believe in.

**The End?**


End file.
